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Human Rights House Foundation delivered the words of Human Rights Defenders from Belarus, Georgia, and Ukraine in a statement to the UN Human Rights Council at its 52nd session on 15 March 2023. In the statement, HRHF noted that the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on human rights defenders presents an opportunity to celebrate the role and impact of HRDs.

CASE members have written to the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council about the draft compromise proposal for the European anti-SLAPP Directive. The Swedish Presidency’s compromise proposal is self-defeating, runs contrary to the purpose of the anti-SLAPP Directive and undermines its spirit, and fails to meet the expectations of the European Parliament, the European Union’s most important democratic body.

On 13 March 2023, Human Rights House Foundation delivered a statement focused on the situation for
independent media in Azerbaijan at the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting.

The use of Anti-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation as a pretext to attack those involved in human rights work in Belarus, Russia, as well as by Russian occupying authorities in Crimea was highlighted by Human Rights House Foundation in a statement at the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council on 13 March 2023.

On 14 March 2023, Human Rights House Foundation will host “Threats to media freedom in Georgia ”, a side event at the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting. The event is organised with the financial support of the European Union and co-hosted by Civic Solidarity Platform, Human Rights House Tbilisi and its member organisations Human Rights Center, GCRT, Media Institute, Rights Georgia, and Sapari.

On 13 March 2023, Human Rights House Foundation hosted “Russia’s war in Ukraine – Accountability for war crimes & serious human rights violations”, a pre-event ahead of the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting. The event is organised with the financial support of the European Union, the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

The application deadline for this opportunity has now expired. The House-to-House Project Fund provides support for collaborative initiatives to advance human rights priorities in countries with Human Rights Houses.

On 13 March 2023, Human Rights House Foundation will host “Media Freedom in Ukraine: Uncovering the Truth in a Time of War”, a side event at the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting. The event is co-hosted by Institute for Mass Information (Ukraine), and Zmina Human Rights Center.

This side event in the margins of the 52nd Human Rights Council session will update states on the constantly deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus, particularly with respect to the most serious violations occurring in the country and the need to continue international attention through the extension and strengthening of existing HRC mandates.

Tomorrow, the Leninsky District Court in Minsk is expected to hand down its verdict in the case of Viasna leaders Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich. On the eve of the verdict, the signatory organisations reiterate their calls to release the human rights defenders and drop all charges against them.

There are 1400+ political prisoners in Belarus, as of February 2023 and that number continues to rise. The “Letters from Lukashenka’s Prisoners” campaign aims to ensure the unjustly detained are not forgotten and that their voices are still heard from behind bars.

Human Rights House Foundation joins over 160 international civil society organisations in urging all States to support the resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders ahead of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.